Blue and White - Levi Fanfiction

Ch. 01 - The Ikeda Family

Somewhere Around Eighteen Years Later:

"And how many would you like, sir," I prompted with a polite smile, the politest I could muster while reaching with my free hand for the... somewhat fresh carrots left in my stock for the day.

They had been fresh when they arrived, but being underground and say, not in the sun, and by now being several, several days old meant that they weren't looking so great, but I had to do my job. Besides, they at least had taste as compared to the dried rations and old bread people normally got to eat here.

"As many as I can get with this," the elderly man on the other side of the counter replied, spilling the contents of his small coin purse out onto the wooden surface of my stand.

What few coins there were bounced out unceremoniously and irregularly before settling. I counted them quickly, leaving them where they were only to find that he didn't have enough for even one. I peeked then into the basket he was holding. Inside was nothing more than a single loaf of dry bread as close to stale as you could get with it still being edible. It was the usual meal down here. He must have thought he could splurge a little, get something else for his family.

Schooling my face into an expression of indifference, I ignored the meager amount he presented and grabbed a few for the poor man. He looked like he needed them, and what family he likely lived with would need them as well. He had to live with someone; an old man like him wouldn't survive to such an old age otherwise. And more likely than not, to help care for him, those he lived with likely turned to crime.

As close to the MPs as I was, I should have been alarmed or disgusted but I couldn't feel anything other than pity for him.

The man's eyes widened when I held the vegetables towards him. He frowned, shook his head, and began to protest immediately. "That's far too many," he said, "I couldn't possibly accept..."

"We're having a sale," I cut in simply, not daring to look away from his eyes.

I ignored his sputtering completely, and his voice died in his throat. He looked at me, clearly surprised and clearly knowing that I was lying. But he must have known better than to deny such kindness. In a place like this, genuine kindness was hard to come by. As someone who likely spent his whole life here... he had to have known that.

Before he could reply further, I tossed the carrots into his basket and swiped the coins from the counter. "All sales are final. No refunds and no returns."

A smile broke out onto his face as I sorted the few coins now in my palm. "Thank you, miss," he said excitedly, and at that I looked back into his eyes with a smile of my own. "Thank you. You're incredibly kind."

The man had a toothless smile, all gums and all happiness. His gratefulness showed through in his eyes and the skin by them crinkled, little crow's feet breaking through. I shook my head, pretending that all was normal and that I hadn't done anything out of the ordinary. "With all due respect, sir, I don't know what you're talking about."

"You've got a good heart," he continued, looking down into his basket as though I'd packed gold inside it instead. "Very good heart. Thank you so much, I..."

"Don't mention it," I said, watching as another man began to approach the stand. The light of my lantern reflected his hazel eyes prettily as he nodded and began to hobble away, holding his basket close to his chest. The other man walked right up as I stored the money away into my own coin purse. It was about time to pack up but I figured I could deal with this final customer, at least.

The polite smile returned to my lips and I straightened up to greet the newcomer. He looked to be about as old as I was, though of course that was hard to tell with the dim firelight from my sole lantern and the fact that everyone down here looked exhausted and malnourished all the time - which was accurate. But from what I could tell, at least, we were at least somewhat close to each other in age. He had hair that might have been golden blond in the right light, with bangs that came down to cover one of his brown eyes.